Wiltshire man fights back after Council issues parking fine for yellow lines removed years ago
A Wiltshire man has accused the local council of entrapment after he was handed a parking fine for double yellow lines that were supposedly removed years ago.
Gary Zelley, 37, from Trowbridge, received a £35 fine for parking on the hardly visible yellow lines on Westbourne Road that the council was believed to have erased.
The controversy dates back to around 2015 when Gloucester Road residents were given fines for an error the local authority said it would rectify.
Six years later and Mr Zelley alleges the local council is ignoring his emails about the removal of the lines and has been told the fine will be doubled if he does not pay up.
“The parking warden has come up the street not realising that the area should be free of lines but you can still faintly see them,” he told the Times.
“It’s very much a bully boy tactic. I feel it’s entrapment for lines that shouldn’t even exist and you can clearly see they’ve been burned out.
“The warden is clearly taking photos at an angle to make it look like the lines are still there and issuing people with fines.”
Mr Zelley also said the lines should be burned off properly and people should stop getting tickets.
He added: “If they’re going to issue fines then they should lay the lines back down. It’s a bit of a sticky wicket on their half just to make a bit of money, I feel.”
Since he contacted the Times, Wiltshire Council has cancelled the fine that was issued to Mr Zelley and has also promised to remove the lines "as soon as possible".
Cabinet member for highways, Bridget Wayman said: “We are sorry this Penalty Charge Notice was issued in error.
“It was cancelled and we have apologised to Mr Zelley. We have also reminded our parking team that the restriction in Westbourne Road has been amended.”
However, Mr Zelley has said the council has not been in contact.
Credit: Matthew McLaughlin, Local Democracy Reporting Service
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